Chapter 21
New Day, New Way
Montreuil, Arielle, Bonaventure
Giger knitted his brows. He was not sure how they managed it, but he once again found himself lying in bed with Priscilla clinging to one arm and Kamellia to the other. This was their second night in Montreuil. Separate rooms were a luxury they could not afford and there was probably not a single room with two beds in all the inns in the city. Giger was not chivalrous enough to sleep on the floor nor callous enough to demand that the ladies do so instead.
They started out on opposite ends of the bed with their backs to each other and Kamellia cuddling with a reluctant Priscilla like some sort of doll. Somehow, in the course of the night, Priscilla would slip out of Kamellia's clutches and migrate to the other side of the bed. It was one thing for her to curl up to him in her cat form, but he tried to discourage her from doing so in human form as a matter of general principle. The previous incident that resulted in her running off and falling into the hands of the Black Widow of Arielle was all the more reason.
Then there was Kamellia, who seemed to be increasingly redirecting her affections toward Giger in Mordekai's absence. Given that she had reverted to how she was 13 years ago, it was a far less distant memory of her sleeping with him when they were apprentices. She probably thought it was innocuous at the time, but as Giger had grudgingly admitted to her the other day, his feelings for her had always been there, so such nights were equal parts Heaven and Hell for him. Now he had a double dose of it.
"You don't have to look quite so miserable, Barz," Kamellia said, apparently seeing him quite well despite barely having her eyes open.
Prissy, without appearing to wake up, tightened her hold on Giger's arm and rubbed her cheek on his shoulder.
"Men dream of this sort of thing, you know," Kamellia continued. "I can think of any number..."
"Then why don't you crawl into their beds?" Giger grumbled.
"I don't think you'd like that," Kamellia replied.
She was right, of course. She knew him too well.
"You think I like being your port in a storm any better?"
"You're not being fair, Barz."
"You wouldn't be doing this if Mordekai was still around."
"But Mordekai isn't still around."
"You sure haven't waited long to hitch your wagon to another horse."
Annoyed, Kamellia asked him, "What do you expect me to do, Barz? Who else am I supposed to turn to?"
This did nothing to improve Giger's mood. It was not that he doubted her affections, and in her position, he would likely do the same, but there was no pleasure to be had in playing second fiddle to Mordekai.
Kamellia reached down and took hold of Giger's hand and brought it up to her lips. As she kissed his hand, Giger uncomfortably thought of his fitful pubescent dreams of those lips of hers.
"Where else can I go?" she asked.
"Off a short pier," Prissy suggested.
Giger pulled his hand free of Kamellia so he could thwap Prissy on the head.
"Be nice," he said.
Prissy bit him. The effect was quite different when she was in her human form.
Having had his fill of his companions' antics, Giger thrashed about to shake them off.
"Alright, alright. Party's over. Get off, both of you."
"You're acting like a child, Barz," Kamellia said, shielding herself from Giger's flailing arms.
Giger's little tantrum achieved its purpose of getting him out of bed without any unwanted attachments. He picked up his clothes that were hanging off the chair and went behind the dressing screen to quickly change.
Once he emerged, he told Prissy and Kamellia, "Come on. Get up, get dressed."
Prissy gave him a sly grin and started to hike up her nightshirt. Giger was having none of it, though. He took hold of her and ushered her to the dressing screen, growling, "Behind the screen, dammit."
However, it was not long before Prissy peeked out around the corner, showing just enough bare shoulder to tease at what was going on behind the screen, not that such tricks were going to get her anywhere.
"I forgot to get my clothes," she said.
"You should think about that before you take off the clothes you've got," Giger said. "And how hard is it to put your damn nightshirt back on?"
"I'm not shy," Prissy replied, "but you sure seem to be."
"You're damn right," Giger grumbled. He found Prissy's dress, wadded it up and tossed it over the screen. "There. Now get dressed."
"You really should handle a young lady's clothes better than that, Barz," Kamellia chided.
"I shouldn't have to be handling any young lady's clothing at all," Giger said. "Now come on, Kamellia. You get dressed too, and none of that nonsense like a certain pad-footed pixy."
"Pad-footed pixy?"
It did not sound like Prissy quite knew what to think of that one. Meanwhile, Kamellia gathered up her clothes and went past Giger, saying, "You always did have a way with words, Barz. And anyway, it's nothing you haven't seen before, am I right?"
"Doesn't mean I need to see it now."
"Is that because you didn't like what you saw... or was it because you did like it?"
Giger pointed to the screen. Kamellia seemed to have a little extra spring in her step as she went. Not too many people who will turn down a compliment, even if it is one that is left unsaid.
Once Kamellia was behind the screen, she could be heard saying, "You want me to help you with those laces, Prissy?"
"Sure."
Giger tapped his foot impatiently while he waited for the ladies to finish getting around. Once they emerged from behind the screen, Kamellia sat down on the bed until she saw Prissy snuggle up to Giger and take his arm. She then had to do the same. Giger would very much appreciate it if they would stop competing like this.
"What's the plan for today, Barz?" Kamellia asked.
Giger exhaled slowly through his nose as he renewed his resolve. He had made this decision the night before but had not shared it with Prissy or Kamellia yet. He did not imagine they were going to like it. He did not like it much himself, but their visit to the Basilisk Guild made it clear that something different had to be done. Mordekai was gone and his dream of the sorcerers' kingdom might just get them all killed.
"Prissy, I want your other half to speak to someone in charge. Tell them that if they want some help with their little problem, you know someone."
"Are you sure you want to do that, Giger?" Prissy asked. "They'll take you in like they did with the others."
"Didn't cooperating with them get me killed, or whatever it was that happened to me?" Kamellia asked in turn.
"I know it's a bad idea," Giger said, "but if other mages start trying to fight back, more places will end up like that crater in Vigau."
"What if they won't listen to me?" Prissy asked.
"Then you keep pestering them until they do listen."
"I don't think they'll like that."
"Well, I sure as hell don't like any of this either, but it's our best chance of surviving this."
Kamellia gripped Giger's sleeve.
"You told me about the Mage Ban, Barz. You chose to be an outlaw for nearly thirteen years. You never bent to the full power of the League once, but you're going to bend to these people. What changed?"
Giger looked at her and replied, "You did."
Kamellia shook her head.
"You don't have to do this for me."
"It's not just you. Like I said, if this all goes sideways, we're all dead. I'd like to avoid that if I can."
Kamellia looked at him with eyes full of doubt. Giger had never seen her this way before, uncertain, vulnerable. As long as he had known her, she was always confident and in control, the responsible big sister type. Only now the dynamic had changed. She was this disjointed existence outside of her time, reliant on him, and he wasn't the same reliable figure to her that she was to him.
She closed her eyes and sighed, saying, "Then I guess I'll trust your judgment. What do I do?"
"Nothing. If this works and they come to make contact, I want you to stay out of sight. I don't know what they'll do if they find out you're still alive, reincarnated, regenerated, whatever."
"You know I don't like the idea of doing nothing."
"Well, I'd very much appreciate it if you'd put up with it because if this doesn't work out, you're our last chance."
"What do you think I can do that you can't?"
Giger tapped her on the forehead and said, "I'm countin' on you to come up with something, Miss Star Pupil of the Great Master Mordekai Grummond."